Century marks

GIVE WOMEN A CHANCE: After the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks failed in July 2000, President Clinton said, "If we'd had women at Camp David, we'd have an agreement." Swanee Hunt and Christina Posa agree, and can cite cases in which the presence of woman helped achieve peace. The women of the New Sudan Council of Churches, for example, organized their own summit to help end the bloody hostilities between the Dinka and the Nuer, negotiating shared rights to water, fishing, and grazing land. Also, the Sudanese Women's Voice for Peace talked with military leaders of the rebel armies in order to gain access to rebel-controlled areas, which was necessary for humanitarian relief And it was women who helped ensure that humanitarian aid got to families who needed it rather than being diverted for personal gain. "Given their roles as nurturers, women have a huge investment in the stability of their communities," say Hunt and Posa. When talks would break down in the Northern Ireland peace negotiations, "the women would come and talk about their loved ones, their bereavement, their children, and their hopes for the future," one British participant observed (Foundation for Global Community, July/August).

LOSSES AND GAIN: Lynda Taylor was eight-months pregnant when her car was struck by truck driver Billy Turnbow, who had been behind the wheel for 20 hours straight. Lynda was killed and her three-year-old twin daughters were injured. The Taylor family had just cause for seeking the maximum penalty for Turnbow, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter. But the family asked for leniency for the driver, who is married with two young children. Taylor's brother said: "Lynda's children have lost their mother, and we couldn't find a constructive reason for the Turnbow children to lose their father" (EthicsDaily.com, September 30).

DIVESTMENT DIVIDE: To protest Israel's human fights abuses against Palestinians, some Harvard and MIT faculty, students and staff have signed a petition urging their universities to divest from Israel and from U.S. companies that sell arms to Israel. The action has created fault lines in the academic world. Jacob Neusner, prolific Jewish scholar who coauthored a book with William Graham, the new dean of Harvard Divinity School, wrote to Graham, saying: "Had I known you signed that infamous petition to divest Harvard's investments in the state of Israel, ... I would never have wanted to write a book with you." Neusner accused Graham of signing on with Israel's enemies, adding that the fact Graham later withdrew his name from the petition "does not change the picture one bit." Paul Hanson, Harvard professor of Near Eastern languages and civilizations, also had his hand slapped by Hershel Shenks, editor of Bible Review, for having signed the petition. Hanson is a Bible Review advisory board member. Shenks said he was more saddened than angered by Hanson's signing the petition, calling the act naive and misguided (Bible Review, August).

FAT CATS: All the attention given to corporate malfeasance has not put a crimp on CEO compensation packages, according to an analysis done by USA Today (September 30). Despite a slumping economy, "many CEOs are getting double-digit salary increases, fat bonuses, large stock option grants and lavish perks more reminiscent of the bull market 1990s than a 30-month-long bear market." All this at a time when the average workers' salaries are rising just 3.6 percent. In some cases, these boosts in CEO compensation are rewards for good performance, but some non-performers are being handsomely rewarded as well. Much of the blame for lofty pay packages and perks goes to directors with long-term ties or consulting deals with management who, according to one CEO headhunter, "just want nice relationships with their CEOs."

BATTLE OF THE AIRWAVES: Donald Wildmon, supporter of conservative causes and founder of American Family Radio, has successfully knocked two National Public Radio stations off the air in Lake Charles, Louisiana. A federal law makes this legal: licensed, noncommercial broadcasters with full-power stations are able to bump off weaker stations. AFR now has nearly 200 stations, and NPR is its main competitor for noncommercial airspace, which is very tight. Wildmon openly disdains NPR and considers its newscasts "slanted from a distinctly liberal and secular perspective."

SHORT-TERM REVIVAL: When the Gallup Organization asked people in May 2001 how important religion is to them, 57 percent said "very important." This number rose by seven points two weeks after 9/11, but by May 2002 it was back to 56 percent. However, a year after 9/11, 40 percent of the people polled by American Demographics (September) say that the tragedy strengthened their religious beliefs. Benjamin Fiore, chair of the religious studies department at Canisius (New York) College, discerns another religious trend after 9/11: while more liberal churches were drawn toward "exploring ecumenical issues, interethnic matters and peace issues," more conservative churches instead asserted traditional identity and values. "The events of 9/11 have pushed both sides in their chosen directions and, as a consequence, further apart from each other."

TESTOSTERONE TEST: Married men have lower levels of testosterone than those who are single. In fact, when men end a marital relationship, they experience an upsurge in the male hormone. According to Peter Ellison, professor of anthropology at Harvard, "Lower levels of testosterone may increase the likelihood that men will stay home and care for their wives and kids, while decreasing the likelihood they will go out drinking with the guys and chase other women." Researchers found little difference in hormone levels in married men, with or without children, but both groups had significantly less testosterone than the single men (Harvard University Gazette, September 19).

WWJE: As Dave Barry would say, we're not making this up: Don Colbert, M.D., has just published The What Would Jesus Eat Cookbook? (Thomas Nelson), all prooftexts taken from the New King James Version. The book is not as crazy as it sounds; it touts a Mediterranean diet which eliminates processed and fried or deep-dried foods and concentrates on whole-grain products, fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, legumes and nuts. Oh yes, and "enjoy a glass of red wine with lunch or dinner."

CHIMPS--THE GOLDEN YEARS: Chimpanzees have 98.7 percent of the same DNA as humans. They can communicate in sign language, and they experience loss and love. But they have fewer rights than a brain-dead human, according to the Boston Globe (October 1). Although they are used in medical research, no laws protect them from euthanization once they're no longer needed. But now the federal government plans to establish a retirement home for 800 chimps formerly used in research. Chimp Haven will be located in an animal sanctuary in Louisiana in a rain forest protected from hurricanes.

HOLY THEFT: Two besotted college students broke into St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa, one hot night in August, setting off the alarm at the police station. When the police arrived, only one item from the church was found in the youth's possession: a Sunday school book for fifth graders. The police reported its value at $0.00. But think of the sales pitch the denominational press could use--a curriculum item so hot that college students risk their futures to get it (St. Paul Journey newsletter, September 6).

"If terrorism is a new form of war then war is the oldest form of terrorism."

--From the Italian Baptist Union declaration against a preemptive strike in Iraq

"Polls show that only one issue works ill Bush's favor: terrorism. On the environment, global warming, prescription drug plans for the elderly, the right of HMO patients to sue in court, campaign-finance reform, corporate oversight and every other major public question, Americans back the approaches preferred by the Democrats. Only on education and tax cuts (both already passed) has Bush the makings of a national majority."

--Dick Morris in the New York Post (September 5)

COPYRIGHT 2002 The Christian Century Foundation
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